Manama seafront plan back on track

Manama, February 24, 2013

Seafront restaurants and sheesha cafes will come up on the Manama coastline as part of a a multi-million dinar redevelopment project.

The project, which has been delayed for the past three years, will be located near the Bahrain Financial Harbour, said a report in the Gulf Daily News, our sister newspaper.

The government had planned to fund the initiative, but now wants the private sector to shoulder the costs, it said.

In return, investors will be allowed to open sheesha cafes and restaurants, although the Manama Municipal Council has already ruled there should be no alcohol.

The plan is to replace the old King Faisal Corniche, which has been sacrificed to make way for a major highway expansion.

Land has already been earmarked for the new public space on the seafront, which will run from the Bahrain Bay development to the flyover at Al Farooq Junction.

However, the Manama Municipal Council is still discussing whether the strip should be tendered out to an individual investor or divided into plots and tendered out to several investors according to services.

"Giving full responsibility to investors is better because it means that maintenance of public facilities will also come under them," said council vice-chairman Mohammed Mansoor. "But it is still not decided whether the corniche will be tendered as one project or divided into subcontracts according to services.

"From experience with other municipal properties, it is better to issue one tender rather than have it split up because it means that we will be dealing with one investor.

That's easier for negotiations and payments."

The new corniche would also include a 1km walkway, green areas and a nursery for plants, he said. - TradeArabia News Service